While a motorcycle is negotiating a curve, the inclination of the vehicle causes the light pattern of the dipped beam to deviate considerably from the form required by traffic regulations for the upright vehicle. As a result, the driver's visibility distance in the curve is greatly reduced, and the oncoming traffic is blinded.
In order to counteract such impairment of traffic safety, it is provided according to a known proposal (German Patent 19817594 A1) that the light cone of the dipped beam of a motorcycle negotiating a curve be stabilized by pivoting the headlight around its optical axis, in such a way that the light pattern is maintained substantially constant relative to the roadway centerline for each inclination on the curve.
For this purpose there is provided a control unit that cooperates with two sensors that do not operate on the ground-sensing principle. One measures the yaw of the vehicle around the vertical axis while the other measures the inclination of the vehicle around the longitudinal axis. Because of the pivoting of the headlight, the known headlight-stabilization system does not operate without wear; moreover, it necessitates a complex movement mechanism.
Finally, from German Patent 19639526 A1, there is known, for adaptation of the light distribution of a headlight system during negotiation of a curve, a method in which the light distribution for straight-ahead driving is supplemented by a light distribution with broader horizontal dispersion during negotiation of a curve, by the fact that a plurality of headlights is combined as appropriate.
In another known headlight unit on a motorcycle (Japanese Patent A 01127466), a main headlight is provided on each side with an auxiliary headlight, which is turned on in response to the inclination of the motorcycle during negotiation of a curve. Even though the light beam of the respective auxiliary headlight is directed outward and upward, it fails to illuminate the respective inside of the curve adequately.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,388 to Skoff discloses a cornering light system comprising single headlight and two auxiliary cornering lights, which are not comparable with the light system of the present application. In the present application, three equal lights are disposed, a central headlight and two laterally mounted headlights. Advantageously, as will be discussed further herein, this means that one light is functioning at full illumination, whereas the two other lights are either dark or dimmed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,864 to Stelling appears to disclose three horizontally arranged lights. These lateral headlights are not turned about their optical axis by a predetermined angle.